It's actually a great place to enjoy the outdoor life - but probably not on a roadie. Get yourself an old 4wd bush basher, a tinny and outboard motor, and a decent sized esky (for the barra of course).

off bike topic, but 4.1m is remember 2m shorter than a lot of crocs up here..... make sure the motor is running VERY well

on bike topic, roads are !! BAN ME NOW FOR SWEARING !! for roadie stuff.... tourists, road trains and all that mean roads are garbage unless ur in darwin, when its ok.get a MTB, some insane stuff over in Jabiru!!

and yeah, the only safe place to swim in kakadu is jabiru swimming pool...

There is a cycling club in Darwin, so obviously there are cycling opportunities. I saw some of them competing in the NT road championships in Alice Springs last September.Contact the club to discover more.

There is a cycling club in Darwin, so obviously there are cycling opportunities. I saw some of them competing in the NT road championships in Alice Springs last September.Contact the club to discover more.

Peter Westcoast from Bicycle NT is a frequent poster on the forums can probably offer more advice...send Peter a PM.

But with a brand new polycraft 4.1m with a 50HP Honda, towed by a 1995 V8 Landrover to play with, in the middle of Kakadu...it would be very easy to park the bike.

G'day KrankSorry for the delay, work took over for a while, then some great fishing in SA for the rest of the time.

Re the safety of the roads, my memory tells me most of the roads are wide. The Arnhem highway west of Jabiru, at sunset would be a problem, as you're going in to the sun, and so are the cars. I would not have a problem riding there, may help getting a mirror. Also, just see how you go with punctures, might have to toughen up your road tyres if this proves a problem. Might also be seasonal. Take a camera, you might get some great shots of sunsets, sunrises on the escarpments.

The road to Cahills crossing, from memory had quite a few accidents before it was sealed. Overseas tourists didn't know how to drive dirt roads, and seemed to have a lead foot.

In terms of angry drivers, I would not have thought this is a problem. wide open spaces, and plenty of room to pass. Road rage is not a problem. Watch out for semi's on your side of the road, it is probably better to get off the road.

It gets hot and humid, so take plenty of fliud. Early morning might be the best, little traffic, cooler, and you're back home for work. I guess it depends on your timetable.

Check how your mobile phone works, it's Telstra country there, but it would be interesting to see how far the mobile network extends now. I do remember it being hot and humid, much hotter than Darwin, on a par with Katherine. Speccy sunsets, especally out towards Obiri Rock, looking over the flood plains.

There are bush walks there, along the escarpment. Clearly fishing is huge.

I would have thought you could keep your road training going with a bit of dedication. There is an outdoor velodrome in darwin, but I don't know much about it. Likewise there is a velodrome in Alice. Others on this forum can give better advice on these facilities. It might also be usefule to sign up for the Darwin club newsletter, as well as the Alice Springs Cycling club newsletter. The alice one is emailed out, and makes a great read.hope this helpssteve

Hi Krank.Partner and I have just left Jabiru after living there for 3&4 years. Moved back to Darwin area. We're just getting into riding, so didn't do a lot whilst we were out there, however can provide you with any advice needed on the area.

You can easiy ride 55km south to Cooinda and back again (=110km), ride 40km west to Sth Alligator Resort and back (=80km) north up to Cahills Crossing/Boarder Store 50km each way or a nice easy 15km each way out to the mine site. The roads are being improved year after year, and it depends what time of year you are travelling as to what the traffic is like. You next to expect the unexpected during tourist season (jun-aug) - tourists hire caravans or vehicles much bigger than they have experience in, so dont know where they are on the road, however they do tend to sit closer to the white line (ie used to driving on opposite side of the road). If I were riding and saw one coming from behind and one in front, I would definitely contemplate getting off the road. There is not much shoulder in most areas.

You will gets lots of roadtrains and tour buses at certain times of day - you will prob learn their schedules. Be wary of getting sucked under the roadtrains, espectially again if oncoming traffic also.

As a side note - a comment above mentioned Oenpelli. You do require a permit to cross over Cahills Crossing into Arnhemland and the Traditional Owners will not grant a permit for a bicycle on the dirt roads. It is too dangerous. There are numerous rollovers there every year, and with the dirt being kicked up and speeding cars, it is too easy for people to get hit. Many residents of Oenpelli (also now called Gunbalanya) will ride their bikes daily on the bitumen over there which is ok - just not on the dirt. I used to work closely with the Traditional Owners of the area, so have this on good authority.

Around waterways / bridge crossings - particularly close to Cooinda and South Alligator River, beware of wild animals if travelling at dusk. Many a pig has been hit by cars.. that would be messy on a bike. Also watch out for snakes on the road if out at night!

Anything else? Miss Jabiru already, it's a nice little community, generally very safe. Bikes have had a tendancy to get stolen if left in your front yard at night time. Make sure you put it inside or lock it up securely! Enjoy!

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